Before I started incorporating ayurveda into my life I thought having an upset tummy was normal. Things like: not feeling hunger at meal times, having a rumbling belly, feeling bloated, and not having a bowel movement every single morning were considered normal, and should be treated by taking some tums according to allopathic doctors.

While modern nutrition does a good job at labeling and counting nutrients, it does not do a great job at looking at qualities of food and how they affect your digestion. This is where ayurveda’s wisdom on digestion really shines, in my opinion.

Ayurveda introduced me to the concept of digestive fire, known as agni, which determines how we break down and assimilate food. There are several things we can do that will have an effect on our digestion, and how we feel from the foods we eat. Interestingly, none of these concepts have to do with counting calories or looking at nutrition labels.

Once I began making changes to how I was eating, I was able to strengthen my digestive fire. Beyond not having to struggle with digestive issues, I started to sleep better, maintain a healthy weight but exercise less, had more energy throughout the day, and have seen changes to my skin.

It turns out that digestive issues such as feeling heavy after eating, gas/bloating, acid reflux, a sour belly, and not feeling hunger throughout the day are common, but not normal, and a sign that something is up with your digestive fire. Ayurveda views food that has not been digested properly to be the root cause of most imbalances, which is why it is worth it to try and make a few changes that can help to strengthen your digestion.

Here are a few mistakes that can hurt your digestion, but are simple to change:

1. Before incorporating ayurveda I had no schedule around food, and my meal times were always scattered. The thing is, your body likes routine, and if your belly knows what hour to expect food, it can prepare itself by firing up the process of digestion before you’ve even take your first bite. It lights up its digestive fire, prepares digestive enzymes, and in turn you feel hungry. Try to eat three meals a day, around the same hour each day. This simple act will help your digestive fire properly break down what you are putting into your body.
2. For a while modern nutrition was telling us to eat many small meals in a day. We have since learned that this isn’t actually helpful for digestion as your body needs enough time to finish digesting one meal before it’s loaded with the next. Your body is not in fact a conveyor belt, and grazing throughout the day overloads the system to the point it can’t break down food. Instead, space your meals 3-4 hours apart, and as a result you will feel light and refreshed after meals, instead of heavy and weighed down.
3. Lunch is often the most overlooked meal of the day, as it is often when we are the busiest. However, ayurveda teaches us that midday when the sun is at its strongest is also when our digestion is the strongest, so we never want to skip this meal. When you skip lunch, you’re missing an opportunity to train your metabolism and as a result dinner then becomes hard to digest. Make lunch the largest meal of your day, with breakfast and dinner being a little bit smaller.
4. Mixing fruit with other foods is very popular (fruit in yogurt, salads, on toast, and smoothies), but is not helpful when it comes to proper digestion and absorption. Fruit ferments and breaks down faster than other foods so should be eaten by itself. When mixing fruits with other fruits, try sticking to ones that are similar in nature like berries with other types of berries, sour fruits together, or apples and pears. Fruit is great when eaten on its own, so trying having it is a snack when needed in between meals.
5. Sipping cold drinks with food dampens your digestive fire. It’s equivalent to pouring water on a campfire. Once the fire goes out, your body can no longer digest food, and in turn turns into a toxic build up, known as ama in ayurveda. We want warmth to help keep our digestive fire strong, so stick to room temp or warm drinks, and always sip rather than overload your body with fluids while eating.